MediumAt a time when many sectors are ripe for disruption, the publishing industry has been doubly affected. Not only is publishing itself being disrupted by new technology, media and changing consumption habits, but the advertising industry, on which it has relied for so long for a business model, is also under disruption. Failure to act quickly and foresee these changes has left publishing searching for a viable alternative model.READ MORE

BloombergFacebook has a fake news problem. Google has an evil unicorn problem.
"Evil unicorns" — a term some Google engineers once coined, according to a former executive — are unverified posts on obscure topics, full of lies. They pop up from time to time on the web and find their way into Google's search results. In an ideal world, Google's search algorithm should force these fake, pernicious creatures so low in search results that they are buried deep in the web where few can find them.READ MORE

MediaShiftAs analytics make podcast advertising more formulaic, brands are increasing their advertising spend on on-demand audio. According to audio platform audioBoom, 93 percent of brands have increased their podcast advertising spend from 2016 to 2017, and per the latest Bridge Ratings forecast, ad spend is expected to hit $534 million in 2020.READ MORE

PoynterAn important new global initiative is launching with the ambitious goal of creating transparency standards that help people easily assess the quality and reliability of journalism.
According to a news release from the nonpartisan Trust Project, leading media companies representing dozens of news sites will begin to display what they're calling Trust Indicators. The labeling is meant to provide clarity on the organizations' ethics and other standards, the journalists' backgrounds, and how they do their work.READ MORE

ABC.net.auRemember when we fell in love with digital social networks? Like the smartphone, it's only been one decade since these platforms began sinking their roots deep into our lives. And just like smartphones, many of us wonder how we ever lived without them — and how we might escape. And by "them," we really mean Facebook. With more than 2 billion users worldwide, nothing else comes close to being the place where everyone you've ever known is a participant. READ MORE

The CitizenNow spending more than two hours per day on over seven different social platforms, web users have never been so addicted to social media, according to data from the "GWI Social" report from analysts at GlobalWebIndex.
The study reports that, across all age groups, 98% of web users polled use at least one social network. On average, they have 7.6 active accounts and, unsurprisingly, young people (16 to 34 years old) tend to have more accounts (8.7 on average) than people over the age of 55 (4.6 accounts).READ MORE

PoynterThe Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 Thursday to relax broadcast ownership rules that will allow Sinclair Broadcast Group to purchase Tribune Media and expand Sinclair's reach to nearly three-fourths of all American households. The vote was not a surprise, but it was not without some drama. Common Cause, a critic of media consolidation said, "Even for this craven FCC majority, today's vote to bless more media consolidation represents an awful new low."READ MORE

Talking Points MemoYesterday I appeared on a panel about digital publishers who are "pivoting to video." I've written about this before. But in case you're new to it, there have been numerous cases over the last six months to a year in which digital publishers have announced either major job cuts or in some cases literally fired their entire editorial teams in order to "pivot to video." READ MORE

PoliticoFederal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai will reveal plans to his fellow commissioners to fully dismantle the agency's Obama-era net neutrality regulations, people familiar with the plans said, in a major victory for the telecom industry in the long-running policy debate.
The commission will vote on the proposal in December, some seven months after it laid the groundwork for scuttling the rules that require internet service providers like Comcast or AT&T to treat web traffic equally. READ MORE

AxiosThe economic strains of technology on the entire media landscape are intensifying. Weeks after Google and Facebook announced record earnings, some of the biggest players in the digital media industry are still struggling to hit revenue projections, make profit or grow.
Why it matters: Rapid consolidation in every sector, but especially digital, shows how difficult it is for media companies to survive in an attention economy dominated by tech platforms.READ MORE

Greenhouse GrowerAll-America Selections has announced the latest round of AAS award-winning varieties. Each of the 11 varieties was trialed throughout North America by professional, independent, volunteer judges who grew them next to comparisons that are considered best-in-class.READ MORE

Architect MagazineOn Nov. 14, Arup, Grimshaw, and Haley Sharpe Design released renderings of the Oman Botanic Garden, which is set to be the largest botanical garden in the world. Spread across 1,037.8 acres, the massive structure will be composed of two domes that "mimic the natural temperature and humidity of the unique external environments," according to an Arup press release.READ MORE